John W. Terborgh

Dr. John W. Terborgh "interests lie in the fields of tropical ecology and conservation. At different times in his career he has studied birds, primates, herbs and forest trees, and he has directed student projects involving butterflies, lizards, amphibians and crocodillians. The common denominator in all this work has been the goal of solving problems of general ecological interest using a comparative approach. Some typical comparisons have involved seasonal patterns in resource utilization by forest primates, habitat use by Amazonian birds, and latitudinal variation in the structure of mature forests. Applications of ecology to conservation have increasingly become a central theme of his work. He regards as particularly important the need to understand the many consequences of habitat fragmentation, especially those related to the disruption of trophic-level processes.

"Special Facilities: Dr. Terborgh and his students often conduct their research at the Cocha Cashu field station that is maintained in Peru's Manu National Park. (See http://www.duke.edu/~manu/)"


 * WWF USA: Board of Directors
 * Honorary Board Member and Scientific Advisor, Wildlands Project
 * Technical Advisory Team, Amazon Conservation Association
 * MacArthur Fellowship: Other Environmental

Recent Publications

 * Terborgh, J.W. 1999. Requiem for Nature. Island Press, Washington, D.C.
 * Soul, M.E., and J.W. Terborgh. (eds.). 1999. Continental Conservation: Scientific Foundations of Regional Reserve Networks, Island Press, Washington, D.C